Elastic-fluid turbine.



J. WILKINSON.

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE, APPLICATION FILED 001214, 1911.

1,021,754. Patented Max:2 6, 1912,

His :itto/W UNITED strn'rns PATENT orrien.

umns'wrnxmson, or scnnnncraur, mzw roan, Assren'on 'ro GENERAL nnnc'rnrc 3 COMPANY, .e 'conroaarron 323? NEW YORK.

- ELASTIC-FLUID TURBINE.

Patented Mar. as, 19.12:

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES WILKINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State ofNew York, have invented certain new-and useful Improvements in Elastic-Fluid Turbines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in compound elastic fluid turbines wherein the power absorbing apparatus is interposed between high and low pressure turbines and is mounted upon a shaft co-ax'ial with the two turbine shafts and detachably connected to both. The power driven apparatus thus forms the connection between the two simple shafts of the compound turbine and,

by the provision of couplings or friction clutches I am enabled to drive the apparatus by either turbine or by both turbines, suitable supply and exhaust passages being provided to enable the motive fluid to flow either in series through both turbines or independently through each turbine to a separate exhaust.

My invention further contemplates the provisionof novel means for governing .the supply of motive fluid to a compound turbine of the character described, wherein the speed governor is driven from the shaft of the power absorbing apparatus and is adapt ed to be connected to the valve controlling the supply of motive fluid to the high pres sure turbine or to both turbines when acting in series, or to either turbine when acting independently.

My invent-ion fiurther comprises the details of construction and arrangement of arts disclosed in the accompanying drawmg wherein the invention is illustrated as a turbo-generator-unit,Figure 1 representing a side elevation of the apparatus as a whole, and'Fig. 2', a bottom detail view of the cross connections between the high and low pressure turbines, together with the intermediate auxiliary supply and exhaust Similar reference numerals refer to simi- 'lar parts thro' ut the drawings;

In the iormi ted,m invention duma 111 'h no turbine 'i and allow pressure turbine 'a-iaeaated upon 'a' base *3 and prodded with h aring 4 which the 5 and "6 which are driven by the rotating eleinentsiacted 'upon by the motor fluid in the turbines 1 and 2, respectively. As .the rotating. parts and internal construction of the turbines may be of any standard design, all the details illustrating the same are omitted from the showing. The turbines l and 2 are spaced apart sufficiently to permit the interposition of a power absorbing apparatus such as an electric generator 7. This gener ator is also mounted upon the bed plate 3 and has, its rotating parts su ported by a shaft 8 co-axial' with the shafts 5 and 6 and supported by a single bearing pedestal 9 also: rising from the base 3. Friction clutches 10 and 11 controlled by the hand levers" 12 and" 13, respectively, are adapted to couple the shaft 8' to either or both of the shafts .5 and .6. The revolvingparts the pipe 16. The pipe 16 is coupled to a' valve casing 17-carrying a valve 18. operated by the hand wheel 19 and adapted to control the connection between the exhaust pipe 16 and the four-way coupling 20. This coupling connects with a governing valve casing 21, which in turn is connected to a second valve casing 22, similar to 17, and provided it with a valve23 operated by a hand wheel 24 and adapted to control the communicationbetween the main couplin 20 and the supply pipe 25 leading to, the ow pressure turbine 2. t The motive fluid after flowin through this latter turbine is exhausted through the passage 26 to a condenser 26 or other receptacle. High pressuremotive fluid may .be admitted to the coupling 20 through the pipe 27 under the control of a valve 28 adapted to be operated by the hand wheel 29. An auxiliary exhaust pipe 3.0 leads from the couplin 20, the valve 31 being provided to close t '5 opening, which valve is operated by hand in the same man net as the valve 28. The pipes 27 and 30 are shown broken away in Fig. 2 of the drawing so as to illustrate the valves. A valve 39, 1S

. disposed. in the valve casing 21 and is adapted, under the control of a speed governor, to regulate the Admission of the motive fluid to the low pressure turbine 2.

.Since it is my purpose to adapt the power absorbing apparatus to 'be driven by either of the turbines, I have mounted the-centrifugal governor-33 u on the bearing pedestal 9 and connected it y any suitable speed re-- ducing gearing to the generator shaft 8. The governor acts to rock the bell-crank. lever 34, theupper endof which is connected by a rod 35 and crank 3.6 to the highpressure admission valve 15. The lower portion of this lever isjconnected by the rod 37 and crank 38 tothe valve 32. Each of the rods 35 and 37 is provided with a yoke ortion 39 which is adapted to be detachab y con nected to a stud or pin, located at the end of each armof the lever 34, According to this arrangement.' either rodg'35l or 37, or both, may be readily'connected and disconnected to the governor actuated crank 34 for the purposes hereinafter'described. The clutch levers 12 and 13 are connected in the usual manner to the clutch members 10 and 11 and are pivotally mounted upon brackets 40 and 41 connected respectively to the dynamo casing-and tof'the pedestal 9. 7

As illustrated, the valves 18 and 23 are open and the"valves-28nand 31 are closed.

' The governor actuatedwalve 32 is disconnected from the governor, and the latter acts through the valve 15 to control the supply of motor fluid to the turbine 1.

In operation. the motive fluid passes through the high pressure turbine and cross pipe connections and through the low pressure turbine to the exhaust 26; Both clutches being-closed the dynamo is driven by both turbines. This is the normal manner'of operation for the turi..-:,--generatorapparatus and particularly under. full load conditions. By closing valve 23, opening valve 31 in the auxiliary exhaust and releasing clutch 11, the high pressure turbine 1 will drive the. dynamo.- By releasing or opening clutch 10, closing'clutch 11, closing the valves 18 and 31, and opening valves 23 and 28, the high pressure fluid will act in the turbine 2 to drive the dynamo, the supply being controlled by the valve 32 whose operating rod 37 is connected to the governor actuated crank 34 while the valve rod 35 is disconnected therefrom. By closing both clutches, opening all of the valves except the auxiliary exhaust 31, and connecting both governor actuated valve rods to lever 34, the

compound turbine will operate with a governed overload supply for the low pressure turbine, which overload supply is controlled by the valve 32. There are many obvious advantages which would arise in common practice from these various methods of operating the compound turbine, such as enabling either machine to be repaired without cutting the generator out of service; giving a variety of driving effects to the generator b the manipulation of the valves and c utches; and the simplifying to thegreatest degree of the shaft construction andthe gov erning apparatus for a compound turbine in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as .new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. The combination with a compound turbine, of a power absorbin apparatus interposed between portionso the turbine, and means for connecting and disconnecting said apparatus and turbine'so thatvt-he former may be driven,byeither-orboth portions of said turbine. v

2. The combination with a turbine having rotatable elements disposed in two separate casings, of a power absorbing apparatus disposed between said casings, a shaft for said apparatus, rotatable elements in each. casing, shafts therefor, and couplings to couple said elements through the shaft of said power, absorbing apparatus.

3. A turbo-generator-unit comprising a high pressure turbine, a-low pressure turbine, motive fluid connections whereby said turbines are adapted to operate in series, a rotor for each turbine, a generator disposed between said turbines and having its rotatable parts co-axial with the rotors of said turbines, and means to connect said rotatable parts to said rotors.

4. An elastic fluid turbine apparatus comprising in combination, a plurality of turbines connected up to act in series, an interposed power drivenapparatus interposed between two of said turbines, means to drive said apparatus from either turbine, a device responsive to the speed of said power driven apparatus, and means controlled thereby to regulate the supply of fluid to said turbine. 5. In combination, a high and low pressure turbine connected up toact in series, a

power absorbing apparatus interposed be" tween said turbines, and clutch means to couple said apparatus to either or both turbines.

6. The combination with two turbines -connected up to act in series and having their shafts disposed in'alinement, of a rotary power absorbing "device disposed between said turbines and having a shaft also in alinement with said turbine shafts, clutch means to couple said turbines to said apparatus, valve means to control the supply of motor fluid to said turbines; and a speed gov rnor which regulates the supply and is driven from the shaft of the power absorbing apparatus. I

7. The combination with twoturbines connected up to operate in series, of power transmission means, clutches to couple each turbine to said means, independent controlling mechanisms for each turbine, and. a common governor for said mechanisms.

8. The combination with two turbines connected'up to operate in series, of power absorbing means, clutches to couple each turbine independently to said means, independent controlling mechanisms for each turbine, a governor, and means to disconnect either of said controlling mechanisms from said governor.

f). The combination with two turbines connected up to operate in series, of power transmission means, clutch connections to dctachably couple each turbine to said means, independent controlling mechanisms for each turbine, a governor, means to simultaneously connect both controlling mechanisms to said governor, and means to inlroducc an or oad supply for the low pressure turbine which is acted upon by the controlling mechanism therefor.

10. The combination with two serially connected turbines, one of which normally operates at low pressure, of means to admit high pressure fluid to said low pressure turbine, and a controlling apparatus which regulates the admission of said high pres- 12. The combination with a high pressure turbine, a low pressure turbine and a cross connection whereby said turbines receive motive fluid in series, of a power absorbing apparatus adapted to be independently driven by either of vsaid turbines, valve,

means to disconnect said turbines, an auxiliary valve controlled exhaust port for the high pressure turbine, a. valve controlled supply port for the low pressure turbine, and independent speed responsive means to control the admission of motor fluid to either or both turl'iines, substantially as (ic scribed.

l3. The combination with a high pressure turbine and its shaft, a low pressure turbine and its shaft, a generator havingitsrotating parts driven by a shaftco-axial with said turbine shafts, and two friction clutches which act to connect said generator shaft to each of said turbine shafts, substantially as described.

.In witness whereof, I have hereunto set.

my hand this 13th day of October, 1911.

JAMES WILKINSON.

W itncsscs: V

ll EDEN ()urono, BENJAMIN B. HULL. 

